7o6 A. D. 1485. 



firft appointment of a conful for the merchants of England in any of 

 the countries within the Mediterranean : and the cuflom of appointing 

 foreign merchants to be confuls for the Enghfh in thofe countries con- 

 tinued for a confiderable lime, and continues in fome inflances to the 

 prefent day. 



Soon after the invention of the art of printing the induflry of Venice 

 made it an objed of connnercial advantage, fo that, in every part of 

 Europe, thofe who could read had books imported from Venice. And 

 in England alfo, the bufinefs of printing, though fo lately introduced, 

 appears to have been already fo well eftabliflied, that books from the 

 Englifli preffes now began to be articles of exportation *. 



November — The firfl parliament of King Henry VII, obferving, that 

 in the reign of Edward IV a great number of foreign merchants had 

 obtained letters and ads of denization, whereby they were put upon a 

 footing with the native fubjeds in the payment of cuftoms, and alfo that 

 they frequently entered the merchandize of other foreigners in their 

 own names, and thereby defrauded the revenue, enaded, that all for- 

 eigners made denizens fliould pay the full duties payable by foreign 

 merchants. [y^Sis i Hen. VII, c. 2.} 



Confidering the danger to be apprehended from a decay of the navy, 

 and the feamen being unemployed, they enaded a law, the very reverfc 

 of that of Edward III in the year 1368, which entirely excluded Eng- 

 liflimen from the carrying trade; for now no perfon was allowed to buy 

 or fell any wine of the growth of Guienne or Gafcoigne, in England, 

 Ireland, Wales, Calais, or Berwick, unlefs it were imported in a veffel 

 belonging to England, Ireland, or Wales, and navigated principally by 

 natives of England, Wales, Ireland, or Calais. — This law, being ap- 

 parently intended as an experiment, was to be in force only till the next 

 parliament, {c. 8.] 



The prohibition of the importation of a variety of foreign articles, en- 

 aded in the year 1482 was confirmed, and twenty years added to it, the 

 addition of ten years by the ad of Richard III being fet afide, as the 

 ad of an ufurper. [c. 9.] 



The Italian merchants, availing themfelves of the king's difpofition to 

 undo the ads of his predeceffor, obtained a repeal of the 9"* ad of 

 Richard. But the fines, incurred by tranl'greilions of it, were ftill to be 

 paid to the king. \c. 10.] 



i486, January ly'** — King Henry very foon after his accefTion ifllied 

 orders to all his fubjeds to receive the merchants of France in a friendly 

 manner, without requiring the produdion of fofe-conduds or licences. 



* This Information concerning the progrefs of I485> wherein there are the following lines : 

 the art of prinling in England is derived from the ' Cclatos, Vcncti, nobis tranfniittcre libros 



loloplion at the end of a Latin tranflation of the ' Ceditc, nos alt'is vend'tmus, O Vcncti.' 



F.p'iJlUs oj P/ja/aris, printed at Oxford in the year \_Mid<llelon t Origin ef printing in Englanil, p. 10. ] 



